14 Planet of the Arts / May-june 1996 / Wer Reception at the Goethe Institute March 8, 1996 BY TERRY DAWES _ German film-maker Werner Herzog has one of those opaque, intimidating faces. He charms while he hurls insults so that people don’t feel like they have been insulted. During the afternoon press conference prior to two appearances at Vancouver's Cinematheque, he wore a happy expression only when describing how he had to go call on a prostitute to help ease the pain of a cinematogra- pher who split his hand in two while filming in a little boat on rough water. One of the qualities of Herzog’s character which can help to define his films is dogged faith, in both the religious and the human sense which he iden- tifies this faith in a story he tells about being raised by militantly atheistic parents only to dramati- cally convert to Catholicism at the age of fourteen. When a reporter prods him about the problematic nature of modern Catholicism, Herzog clarifies: “Obviously, something happened to Catholicism. But | was influenced more by the early saints, up to St. Francis of Assisi.” This faith also shows itself in places like La Soufriére, the docu- mentary in which Herzog and a camera crew remain with a man who refuses to leave his home next to a volcano that is about to explode. Herzog’s faithfulness to the apparent “losers” of the world, the people who can’t fit, also exemplifies this quality. Replying to a question about how he and his actors rehearse for film making, he lashes out, “I haven't been to a play in a the- atre since | was 24. | went to Lee Strasberg’s studio once and | just shrank like this [he covers his ears with his hands and shrugs his shoulders]. | found it so painful what they were doing. | have only been to the theatre three times and | hated it. | hate theatre. There’s something about it | can’t explain. What those people are doing on stage | never could comprehend. | have no time for actors’ ego trips and most of the crap that goes on today.” Speaking about his film Heart of Glass, in which he had his entire cast hypnotized: “| wanted to find out if people could exchange dialogue while hypno- tized and the answer is yes. | don’t have any particular method about rehearsing. | don’t think | could have got actors to talk that way. There’s a strange thing about the eyes when a per- son is hypnotized and their voice is so strange that | don’t think that Tom Cruise or Robert Redford could duplicate. Little six-year-olds could tell the differ- ence. “You know how today little children can see Star Wars or a movie with lots of special effects and they can come out and tell you how those effects are done? They can tell. That’s why when | made Fitzcarraldo, | hauled that 240 ton truck up the side of a mountain. It was really done. | could have used effects or maybe | could have shot a little plastic truck on a model of a mountain in the studio but those little six year olds would have been able to tell. That’s why I’m not inter- ested in seeing Robert Redford at all.” When asked whether he has ever considered filming the book Gertrude by Herman Hesse, Herzog replies, “I never read ner Herzog Hesse. It’s probably no fault of his. | just saw that the people who were reading him were hip- pies and now the New Age peo- ple have just discovered him. Stupid people. So | was very sus- picious and I’ve never read him. | saw a picture of him one time sitting in his garden with a big straw hat on his head (Herzog’s face scrunches up, visibly dis- gusted) and a couple of lines of text under the photo that read: ‘Something something blah blah Mother Nature.’ And that’s all | needed to know. | hate Mother Nature.” PoA ventures only one suit- ably neutral question: “Does the German government take any protectionist measures against American cinema?” “No, not really.” Herzog replies “You might see the odd European film in commercial cin- emas and the only German films that get shown are comedies. The only places you'll see all the other German films being made are in cinematheques. German films make up something like six percent of films shown in Germany. The French are trying. They have a very strong sense that film is a part of their cultural life. “The only other countries that have real protectionist measures against American films are Iran and China. In Iran, it’s because Americans represent the devil. You aren’t even allowed to watch American films on television in Iran. And | think Iran is making some of the best films in the world as a result.” Asked about the apparent eccentricities of his characters, like those portrayed by Klaus Kinski, Herzog counters “No, | see it the other way around. These people are not eccentrics. They are people who haven't yet been deformed by civilization. Also, | don’t see myself as eccen- tric. As far as I'm concerned I’m absolutely normal. Everyone else is eccentric.” Someone asks whether Herzog thinks that US domina- tion of world cinema is just the result of economic power or whether people are just stupid and don’t want to think: “I think it’s very dangerous to blame it all on publicists who spend $20 mil- lion dollars on advertising a film. Americans have their films all over the world because there is a firm background for what they are doing. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter to me because | will out- number them, | will outfilm them, | will outgut them, | will ‘outlive them. And that’s the situation.” ~@ What I Learned continued from page 12 Western civilization has been following since the Enlightenment. Basically, modernism is the process of reducing everything down to its simplest elements in order to discover how things work. And when you know how something works you can control it. The modernists felt that if the universe was broken down to its absolute principles and analyzed, then it could be controlled, thereby giving humanity the ability to create utopia. Postmodernists feel that this is a load of crap. They assert that humanity's constant shifting and changing negates any concept of a universal absolute. There are no universals, just meanings that shift and change. Pushing Boundaries (ust Far Enough) Art is one of these things that shift and change. It is relative. But then again, we all know that David Salle makes important paintings and Robert Bateman does not. In other words, there is good and bad art. If art is relative, how can these value judgments exist? Although art is relative, it is not an absolute relativism. Art does have boundaries, it’s just that these boundaries are not absolute. The boundaries themselves can shift and change. If these boundaries are artificially created, then it becomes important to discover who creates them. : It is the art institution that creates the boundaries of art. The artists, critics, gallery owners, patrons, and art students that form the art institution create the rules of art. Art is a language that the art institution speaks. Outsiders don’t know how to speak the language. That’s why my Dad can’t understand why Mike Kelley is an important artist. Art, like any language can shift and change. Art has the potential to be anything. Duchamp can exhibit a urinal as art, but only when it fits the language and the boundaries at the proper time. To make good art, one must make something that fits into the boundaries. But you don’t want your art to fit too well, or it’ll be bor- ing. It'll be just another artwork that’s good like the others. You want your art to push the boundaries, to make something new and unique, to create new meanings for art. But you don’t want to go too far past the boundaries, because then your art won’t be good art. You may not care if you’re not making good art, but it matters because if you don’t make art that is defined as good by the art insti- tution, then you don’t get financial support. You have to work at some shitty job at least until the rules shift to include your art prac- tice. This becomes another one of the rules of the art world: Art that pushes the boundaries (just enough, not too much) is art that is val- ued, and therefore supported financially. Money and Spectacle Everything boils down to money in the end. In order to get finan- cial support for your art it has to fit into the rules. | have been at school for four years learning what the current rules are. But these rules are artificial. They are arbitrary. It is very easy to be cynical about the whole process. The artist learns the rules of the game and then makes something that pushes the boundaries of the rules (but not too much). Why? In order that he or she can get financial com- pensation for something that is inherently valueless. And art is indeed valueless if it is only an internal language game for the art institution. There is no value in that for society at large which doesn’t understand the language to begin with. In the end, the artist is a con artist. This has become quite apparent in the contemporary art world. It seems that much contemporary art is about spectacle, facade, glitz, and surface. Think of Jeff Koons, Matthew Barney, even Jenny Holzer. Their art is all about nothing, or at the very most it is about such a broad category that almost anything can be read into it. It is ambigu- ous; it is meant to be projected upon. The only reason we remember it is because it is spectacular. Art becomes entertainment. So here is the essence of what | learned at art school. It is very important to ask the right questions. The fundamental question fac- ing artists is not how to make good art but how to do this thing that they love and get paid for it. Increasingly the way to do this is to make surface spectacle art. Society values art as entertainment. The art institution values it because it is valued by society and because it can be about whatever is important to you at the time. That's why I’m going to film school next year. Film is so much more spectacular. ~@ ban | 14 Planet of the Arts / May-June 1996 Werner Herzog Reception at the Goethe Institute March 8, 1996, BY TERRY DAWES German film-maker Werner Herzog has one of those paque, intimidating faces. He charms while he hurs insults so that people don't feel ke they have been insulted. During the afternoon press conference prior to two appearances at Vancouver’ Cinematheque, he wore a happy expression only when descrbing how he had to go all on a prostitute to help ease the pain ofa cinematogr her who split his hand in two ‘while ing in alte boat on rough water One ofthe qualities of Herzog’s character which can help to define his films is dogged faith, in both the religious and the human sense which he iden- tities this faith in a story he tells about being raised by miitantly atheistic parents only to dramati- «ally convert to Catholicism at the age of fourteen. When a reporter prods him about the problematic nature of ‘modern Catholicism, Herzog clarifies: “Obvious, something happened to Catholicism. But was influenced more by the early saints, up to St. Francis of sss.” This ath aso shows its in places lke La Sour, the docu- ‘mentary in which Herzog and a camera crew remain with a man who refuses to leave his home next toa voleano thats about to ‘explode. Herzog’ faithfulness to the apparent “losers” of the ‘world, the people who can't fit, ‘ako exemplifies this qual Replying to a question about how he and his actors rehearse for fm making, he lashes out, “1 hhaven't been to a play in a the- atte since I was 24. | went to Lee Strasberg's studio once and I just shrank lke this [he covers his ‘ears wit his hands and shrugs his shoulders). | found it so painful what they were doing. | have only been to the theatre three times and | hated it. | hate theatre. There's something about itt can’t explain. What those Hesse. It’s probably no fault of his. I just saw that the people ‘who were reading him were hip: piles and now the New Age peo- ple have just discovered him. ‘Stupid people. So I was very sus- picious and I've never read him. 1 Saw a pictur of him one time Siting in his garden with a big ‘Straw hat on his head (Her20g's face scrunches up, visibly dis- people are doing on stage! usted) and a couple of lines of never could comprehend. !have text under the photo that read ‘no time for actors’ ego trips and ‘Something something blah blah ‘most ofthe crap that goes on Mother Nature.” And that’s all today.” needed to know. | hate Mother Speaking about his fim Heart Nature” ‘of Glass, in which he had his oA ventures only one suit: entre cast hypnotized: “Iwanted ably neuval question: “Does the to find out if people could ‘German government take any exchange dialogue while hypno- protectionist measures against tized and the answer is yes. American cinema?* don't have any particular “No, not realy.” Herz0 ‘method about rehearsing. | don’t think I could have got actors to talk that way. There's a strange ‘replies “You might see the odd European film in commercial cin- ‘emas and the only German films thing about the eyes when a per- that get shown are comedies. son is hypnotized and their voice _ The only places you'l see all the Js so strange that don't think other German films being made that Tom Cruise or Robert are in cinematheques. German Redford could duplicate. Litle films make up something like six sixyear-olds could tell the differ- percent of films shown in ence. ‘Germany. The French are trying. “You know how today little They have a very strong sense children can see Star Wars or a that film isa part oftheir cultural ‘movie with lots of special effects life. ‘and they can come out and tell you how those effects are done? ‘They can tell. That's why when ‘made Fitzcaraldo, | hauled that 240 ton truck up the side of a ‘mountain. It was really done. | ‘could have used effects or maybe | could have shot a lite plastic ‘ruck on a model of a mountain Jn the studio but those litle six year olds would have been able to tell. That’s why I'm not inter- eccenticties of his characters, ‘sted in seeing Robert Redford at _ like those portrayed by Klaus als Kinski, Herzog counters "No, 1 When asked whether he has see it the other way around. ‘ever considered filming the book These people are not eccentrics. Gertrude by Herman Hesse, ‘They are people who haven't yet Herzog replies, “Ineverread been deformed by civilization. “The only other countries that have real protectionist: measures ‘against American films are iran ‘and China, In ran, it’s because “Americans represent the devil You aren't even allowed to watch “American films on television in Tran. And I think iran is making some of the best films in the ‘world asa result.” ‘Asked about the apparent [Also, | don’t see myself as eccen- tric. As far as 'm concemed I'm absolutely normal. Everyone else is eccentric.” Someone asks whether Herzog thinks that US domina- tion of world cinema is just the result of economic power or ‘whether people are just stupid and don’t want to think: “I think it’s very dangerous to blame it all What I Learned ‘on publicists who spend $20 mil- lion dollars on advertising a film. ‘Americans have ther films all over the world because there is a firm background for what they are doing. Ultimately, it doesn’t ‘matter to me because | will out- ‘number them, ! wal outfilm them, | will outgut them, will Coutive them. And that’s the situation." -® ‘Western civilization has been following since the Enlightenment. Basically, modernism is the process of reducing everything down to, its simplest elements in order to discover how things work. And when you know how something works you can control it. The modernists felt that ifthe universe was broken down to its absolute principles and analyzed, then it could be controlled, thereby giving humanity the ability to create utopia, Postmoderists feel that this is a load of crap. They assert that ‘humanity's constant shifting and changing negates any concept of a Universal absolute. There are no universal, just meanings that shift and change. Pushing Boundaries ux Fa: enough) ‘tis one these things that sit and change It sete But then aga, ve al Know that David Sle makes Inportantpsntings alta eee acaette eet eae ee aft Warts reitve, how can these vale dgments ext? Atbeuigh arts ete, is potan absolut reaver Art does have boundaries, i's that these Boundaries ae not sbsolite, The ns eT ttean tae changedk reste ae zany crested, then becomes Important to dscover who creates them Ts the at insttion that creates the boundates of art. 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You may not care you're not making good at, but it matters because you dont ake at that Is defined as god by the at int tution, then you dot get nancial spor Yu have to work at some sity ob at lest ntl the rls Sto neue your ar prs tee This becomes another one ofthe rls of the art Word: Ar that ashes the boundaties Gust enough, nat oo much) sar thats al- te and theffore supported franca. Money and Spectacle Everything boils down to money inthe end. inorder to get finan-